Beckham reaches end of line with Galaxy

In this Nov. 4, 2012 file photo, Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham of England looks up at the crowd while playing against San Jose Earthquakes during the first half of their MLS playoff soccer match at Home Depot Center. Beckham will be playing his final game for the Galaxy in the MLS Cup against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.FILE: ALEX GALLARDO, ASSOCIATED PRESS

David Beckham, the most brilliant, betatted and ballyhooed English midfielder in the world, will play his final competitive match for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Saturday's Major League Soccer Cup at The Home Depot Center in Carson.

His sentimental swan song concludes his bold, expensive and grandiose six-year experiment to get Americans to embrace the most popular sport on the rest of the planet.

So long, Becks. Thanks for everything. Or, as critics weigh in, thanks for a little something or maybe even a lot of overhyped nothing.

“On the day they announced Beckham was coming, I remember feeling excited and hearing people who never talked about soccer before start talking about going to games,” recalled UCLA junior forward Reed Williams of Newport Beach.

“Soccer, especially with the Galaxy and the MLS, is more popular now than when he got here. He might not deserve all the credit but he deserves some of it.”

The Beckham effect has been debated since the then-31-year-old megastar footballer left Real Madrid in 2007 to play a stage and step down in the MLS.

To America, he brought his soccer credibility: six English Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Manchester United, the La Liga championship with Real Madrid, and three World Cup finals with England's national team for which he was captain and the most capped field player in history.

Most of all Beckham delivered his impeccably manicured, managed and marketed image: that world-famous name, that athletic reputation for technical mastery and passing precision, and that James Bond-esque daring and sex appeal that made him a sports-to-pop-culture crossover.

Brand Beckham fed nicely into the Hollywood fame factory in the land of celebrity opportunity. But the question remained about whether his curiosity factor would cultivate lasting interest in the game.

INSTANT EXCITEMENT

He was welcomed with the spectacular fashion of a British royal wedding.

“David Beckham will have a greater impact on soccer in America than any athlete has ever had on any sport globally,” boldly predicted Tim Leiweke, chief executive of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Galaxy and hockey's Kings.

It was an ambitious plan for one man – the first since Pele in the 1970s – to try to make soccer relevant in a nation already taken with four major pro sports leagues, NASCAR and college sports.

Beckham's $6.5 million base salary in his first five seasons was more than any one entire MLS team and far greater than the $12,900 a season paid to some of his new teammates. Endorsements pushed his annual earnings to $40 million, according to Forbes, keeping him the world's highest-paid soccer player.

The payoff came quickly, piquing the soccer world's “He's going where?” interest in the MLS and putting a pushpin by the Galaxy on the soccer map.

“Soccer was and is still big at the youth level in Orange County, but it was with the older players, in high school and club, and with sports fans looking for something to do that Beckham really got our attention,” said Marlee Carrillo, a USC freshman defender and Boys & Girls Club soccer coach in her San Clemente hometown.

In this Nov. 4, 2012 file photo, Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham of England looks up at the crowd while playing against San Jose Earthquakes during the first half of their MLS playoff soccer match at Home Depot Center. Beckham will be playing his final game for the Galaxy in the MLS Cup against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. FILE: ALEX GALLARDO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy waves before a game against the Portland Timbers, April 14, 2012. Beckham will be playing his final game for the Galaxy in the MLS Cup against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday at Home Depot Center. FILE: STEPHEN DUNN, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy looks on during warm ups before their game against the San Jose Earthquakes at Stanford Stadium on June 30, 2012 in Palo Alto, California. FILE: THEARON W. HENDERSON, GETTY IMAGES
Soccer fans pack The Home Depot Center in Carson for the Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake MLS match on March 10, 2012. FILE: VICTOR DECOLONGON, GETTY IMAGES
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham is shown in action during the MLS Western Conference championship soccer match against the Seattle Sounders, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, in Seattle. FILE: TED S. WARREN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, center, talks to an official after a play during the MLS Western Conference championship soccer match against the Seattle Sounders, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, in Seattle. FILE: TED S. WARREN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy moves the ball against the Seattle Sounders FC during Leg 2 of the Western Conference Championship at CenturyLink Field on Nov. 18, 2012 in Seattle. FILE: OTTO GREULE JR, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham #23 of MLS All-Stars takes a free kick against Chelsea during the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game at PPL Park on July 25, 2012 in Chester, Pennsylvania. FILE: DREW HALLOWELL, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham attacks as he plays in his first game with the Los Angeles Galaxy against Chelsea FC in Carson, Calif., Saturday, July 21, 2007. FILE: MARK AVERY, AP
David Beckham shows off his jersey as confetti falls around him at a press conference to introduce the newest member of the Los Angeles Galaxy, July 13, 2007. FILE: KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham featured on the cover of the July 11, 2007 issue of Sports Illustrated. AP PHOTO/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Media follows David Beckham off the field after a game at the Home Depot Center in 2007. FILE: ARMANDO BROWN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
David Beckham #23 of the Los Angeles Galaxy gives his jersey to a fan after the MLS match between Real Salt Lake and the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center on October 6, 2012. Real Salt Lake defeated the Galaxy 2-1. FILE: VICTOR DECOLONGON, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham of the Galaxy signs autographs for supporters after an LA Galaxy training session in 2011. FILE: SCOTT BARBOUR, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham fans arrive for his debut as a Los Angeles Galaxy soccer player at the Home Depot Center on Saturday, July 21, 2007 in Carson, Calif. FILE: MARK AVERY, AP
David Beckham and wife Victoria Beckham arrive at the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on February 26, 2012 in West Hollywood. FILE: ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham of England head to the field to warm up in preparation for the 2012 MLS Cup at The Home Depot Center on November 29, 2012. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham #23 and Robbie Keane #7 of the LA Galaxy warm up in preparation for the 2012 MLS Cup at The Home Depot Center on November 29, 2012. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham #23 and Robbie Keane #7 of the LA Galaxy warm up in preparation for the 2012 MLS Cup at The Home Depot Center on November 29, 2012. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham #23 of the LA Galaxy speaks to the media during his press conference after training for the 2012 MLS Cup at The Home Depot Center on November 29, 2012 in Carson, California. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES
David Beckham #23 of the LA Galaxy speaks to the media during his press conference after training for the 2012 MLS Cup at The Home Depot Center on November 29, 2012 in Carson, California. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES

1 of

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.